The organisers of a mass snowball fight have each been fined £10,000 for a "blatant breach" of Covid rules.
Hundreds of people attended the gathering in a park, which saw people in close proximity to each other for more than two hours.
Police said the unnamed 20-year-old and 23-year-old were tracked down after the event on January 14 created “a significant and completely unnecessary risk of increasing the spread of the virus”.
Officers say the men were interviewed on Wednesday and Thursday about the incident and reported for fixed penalty notices to be issued against them, Yorkshire Live reports.
The snowball fight on Woodhouse Moor, Leeds was filmed and widely shared on social media, provoking widespread condemnation as England endured freezing temperatures and strict lockdown rules.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the 23-year-old had already received a fine in November for breaching restrictions in relation to mixing households at an address in the nearby Hyde Park area.
He said both men were interviewed on Wednesday and Thursday in relation to the incident and reported for fixed penalty notices to be issued.
Organising any gathering of more than 30 people is illegal and leaves organisers liable to a £10,000 fine under coronavirus legislation, he said.
Leeds police commander Chief Superintendent Damien Miller said: “We take absolutely no pleasure in handing out such heavy fines to these two young men but their actions encouraged hundreds of people to be in close proximity to each other, creating a significant and completely unnecessary risk of increasing the spread of the virus.
“It was a blatant breach of the legislation that is in place to help keep people safe at what remains a critical time for us all.
“The event attracted understandable media attention and widespread public condemnation of all those who irresponsibly took part.
“That said, it remains clear that the vast majority of people recognise the need for collective responsibility and are continuing to stick with the regulations that are there to protect our families and our communities.
“We will continue our approach of engaging, explaining and encouraging compliance but we won’t hesitate to enforce the law where people blatantly disregard the rules and put others at risk.”
